One Word
by obsessivesyndrome
Summary: A series of oneshots. Because one word is all they need. They don't need all those fancy pretty words to describe them. Those eloquent words are made only to impress and they mean nothing at all. One word is enough to capture their very essence.
1. Fool

**AN: I think I'm going to turn to be one of those writers who creates a lot of new fics and updates really slow. Aw crap. But I seriously want to try this one out.**

**First up, our favorite "hip and cool" lying jounin. Kakashi!**

**Warning: Hints of Kakashi/Obito**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto's that lucky bastard.**

**-**

Fool

He feels like he's living in a dream. Life seems so surreal. Now it's a routine of endless missions for him. Strangely Yondaime-sama, no, Arashi-sensei seemed to know what to distract him from his state of mind. If Arashi-sensei didn't force him to take those missions, Kakashi thinks that he would break down.

Every time he was alone, he almost heard _him_. Obito laughing gaily, Obito yelling at him, Obito ranting on and on about triviality. Obito, Obito, Obito.

_Fool._

He remembered it. That day, that accused day. Himself acting so stuck-up and snobbish. So concerned about _rules, rules, rules_. Because shinobi rule number 67 says this, rule number 33 says that. He wanted to clobber the younger version of himself. But he couldn't and so he hit himself instead.

_Fool._

But it doesn't make things any better because _he_'s gone. Gone forever and he's never going to scream at Kakashi again, cry like the stupid crybaby he is and laugh as if the world is perfect. Because when he laughs, the world _becomes_ perfect.

_Fool._

Rules. They ruined his life. His father didn't obey them and that left him fatherless. All alone in the world. And when he had precious people of his own (although he didn't know it), he followed the rules too rigidly and _he_ died. He was left all alone again.

_Fool._

_His _eye didn't hurt anymore. He remembered the first time he woke up with _his_ eye, the burning pain… He screamed shamelessly. Flashes of images appeared, he was forced to watch that incident. Images in Obito's perspective, when he first awoken the Sharingan. The fight, the exchange between the two boys and cold death.

He thought the Obito was probably cursing him, blaming him. _Why do I have to die?_ Because _he_ was the one who least deserved death and Kakashi agrees fully. But there is no justice in the world, _there never was_ and Kakashi was the one alive and Obito dead.

_Fool._

The eye gave him a lot of problems. Everyone thought that having the Sharingan was a blessing but he refuted. It was a curse. The first month has been tortuous. Every morning, he was jerked awake by that searing pain, something was bubbling in his eye and it wanted to be released, as if knowing that the user is not a Uchiha. It felt like hot boiling acid on his eye, burning through his sockets. Next came the headaches. The eye memorized in detail everything and anything he saw. He couldn't control it and it went haywire frequently as if to mock him. Everyone was disturbed by the sight of the swirling Sharingan rolling about his eye socket. It felt like Obito himself was making fun of him.

That day when he died. Oh when he died! Trust in his eyes when he gazed at Kakashi, telling him, _it's going to be alright_. But it's never alright! And why did he trusted Kakashi anyway? If only Kakashi first stepped forwards to help Rin, Obito wouldn't have to _die_. And everything will be alright. They'll go back to the pointless squabbles that they had, the grudging respect (not that they would admit it) and everything would be peachy!

_Fool._

What good is living in the past anyway? Why can't Kakashi just move on with his life like everyone else? Why can't he forget _that _annoying smile, _those _dark, dark eyes and _that _ridiculous goggles! Kakashi keeps those goggles you know, underneath his pillow when he sleeps, but he won't ever tell anyone that. And he defends himself saying that he didn't keep those goggles for sentimental sake. He kept it to, well… To remind himself of Obito and that rules aren't always right.

_Fool._

As much as Kakashi tries, he can't _stop_ thinking of him. When Kakashi did his missions, Obito was always there whooping over the fricking _cool _mission that he had. When Kakashi killed, Obito was always there, his eyes downcast, lips trembling and mourning for the dead. Even though the man was an enemy nin but enemy nins are still human and have their own _precious people_ back home to return to. When he head for lunch, Obito grumbled over the boring choice of food. Who the hell eats the same thing over and over again everyday? And at that time when Arashi-sensei died, because of that bastard fox, Obito was screaming at him. Why aren't you there when Sensei was fighting that damn fox? Why were you away from another mission? Why didn't you try to get home faster when you sensed the disturbance? You never tried! You never cared! You're just a stupid selfish jerk and everyone close to you _always_ dies, always dies because you never did enough to help them! You never helped at all!

_Fool._

Kakashi lies on his futon, eyes glazed over and let Obito scream at him. Because Obito was telling the truth and Kakashi has always been avoiding the truth. Even though if it manages to punch his face.

_Fool._

Then Sandaime went back to being Hokage and after a few years, pulled him out of the ANBU team. Did Sandaime see that he's slowly becoming insane? Sandaime demoted him to Jounin and forces him to take on a new genin team. And he keeps failing them. Just look at them. They're going to die when they get _out_ there! He sees different teams over the years and envisions all their death and they _always_ fail. Because they're not ready, they're never ready. And he doesn't want them near him, because all his precious people always ended up dead and he's convinced that he is cursed.

_Fool._

But Sandaime didn't give up on him and refuses his request to be reinstalled into his ANBU ranks. He sees his next team and was hell-bent to fail them. A noisy hyperactive underdog. _Obito._ A lovesick but average girl. _Rin._ And an arrogant and selfish fool. _Me._ Kakashi could see the ghost of Team Yondaime wafting mockingly at him in them and he grits his teeth. He tells himself that there is no way he's passing them, there's no way another Team Yondaime is going to end up dead again.

Team Yondaime is dead because of him. Yes it's all Kakashi's fault. Everything that's important to him is long gone, erased along with their deaths. But it's not the end of the world. Kakashi tells himself to hang on, because there's _nothing_ left to do. (Unless Kakashi wants to fall off.) He tells himself it's not _that_ bad, because it's over now, and it's not going to happen again. And Kakashi feels relieved for a moment.

_Fool._

But when he saw them offering their lunch to Naruto, even if they were just as hungry as Naruto is, Kakashi faltered. He's going to make the same _mistake _again, isn't he? The sight of that selfish scowling boy, _so much like himself_, giving something up for that hyperactive noisy boy, _so much like Obito_. It makes his chest ache and he wonders if _Kakashi_ and _Obito _could have another chance to start anew, in another body, in another lifetime. He relents and passes them.

_Fool._

He was a rational idiot like that. He calculated that the possibility that both of them succeeding at what Kakashi and Obito failed, would be higher since both of them are lonely like that. He thought it's going to work. He let that silly piece of hope comfort him. But not everything follows reason and logic, you know?

He gets that sinking feeling that he's going to end up wrong _again_. He tries to brush it off and tries to concentrate on that orange book in his hand. But that feeling stays on and keeps bothering him. He's going to end up wrong again and he wonders if he has ever been right to start with.

_Fool._

And he could see Obito laughing mockingly at him. Because Kakashi is and always has been a…

_Fool._

-End-

**AN: I think I'm more suited to do one-shots and short fics. Short attention span. Reviews will be cooed and adored over!**


	2. Liar

**AN: I got depressed and skip school today. Oh, in my defense, I was feeling sick. Yes, depressed shit. Kept wondering if I can skip school everyday. And lie on my bed and stone.**

**Disclaimer: Finally spelled "disclaimer" correctly. Still have shitty spelling skills, though. And I don't own Naruto.**

**-**

Liar

Naruto didn't know exactly why he did it. He just knew that he was afraid, so afraid of being rejected. He was already rejected by the older generation for being a "demon", he feared that his peers would also reject him. He didn't want to be alone again. Ever.

So he made a new "him". Naruto, the class clown. The joker. The dead last. Because everyone likes clowns and jokes, don't they? And people won't feel threatened when they see him weak and untalented, right? Even if people are laughing _at_ him and not _with_ him, it's all right isn't it? At least he made them laugh. And that is enough.

_Liar._

Everyone in this world has a place in life. He settles for the one least demanding and the one which attracts the least attention. But sometimes he slips a little and they see the real "him", you know? But it's not that bad, he always covered his slip-ups nicely and no one would have a clue. Besides, they didn't expect him to go around with that idiotic grin 24/7 do they? After all, he's human too.

_Liar._

He never did like Sakura in _that_ way, you know? He just thought that she was pretty and that was it. None of those love at first sight crap that he sprouted to Sakura about, when he was professing his undying love for the pink-haired girl. She was actually quite a nice person when she wasn't occupied with screaming her head off at him and simpering over the bastard. But he wonders why an acclaimed academic genius like her, can be so damn blind and childish. She's smart but he thinks that she has chosen the wrong profession. Sakura just wasn't suited to be a shinobi. She gets all squeamish over a little blood and spends her time combing her hair and shoppping for dresses rather than training.

And the bastard? Naruto thinks that geniuses are always overrated. They can get the most different jutsu to work in just a few tries, but they're awfully stupid and slow when it comes to basic stuff. The worst thing is that they always think that they're right and everyone else is wrong. They think that they're special, they think that the rest of the world bows to them and they're the only ones who have the right to rid of everyone in their way because ultimately it's their quest that holds the utmost importance.

Naruto chuckled inwardly. He doesn't claim that he has the best sob story among all the rest, but he can proudly say that he's actually doing what he can to improve the situation. Not like the rest. What can betraying your own village do? What can decimating your clan do? What can running away do? What can avoiding the problem do?

He tilted his head back to stare at the endless sky. All that useless crap doesn't meant shit to him.

_Liar._

Sometimes it thrilled him that nobody knew, none of those powerful nins in the almightly and powerful Hidden Village of Leaf knew of his little secret. He laughs, a resounding and hollow sound. None of those ridiculously powerful shinobi knew. They didn't knew that Naruto hated orange, he always grumped at how that hideous orange colour clashes with his blonde hair. They never knew that ramen wasn't his obsession, no, he just ate for the sake of eating, to fill his belly, nothing more. They never knew that Kyuubi was long gone, long since already been absorbed by the seal and that Naruto and Kyuubi actually had a grudging respect with each other. Dare he say he actually considers him as a friend? Kyuubi was a narcissistic and overbearing bigot, but still, a friend nonetheless. They didn't know that Naruto was not and never a dead last. Although he was no genius, he does have his good points. That insane charka level was his own and that overwhelming stamina. Although he was slow when learning new stuff but when he got the concept, everything else breezed by him. He was horrid at charka control, but he's not as bad at they think he is.

Most importantly, Naruto never gave a fuck about wanting to be Hokage. He didn't care about earning the acknowledgement of the people either. Why would he grieve himself fussing over others' opinions anyway? They're not worth it and he decided long ago that he didn't really care. He can be a demon or dead last or Naruto-baka for all he cares. He doesn't give a damn shit.

_Liar._

That sunny smile on his face? That attitude which inspired and offer redemption to a whole line of people, like Inari, Tsunade, Neji, Gaara and so on? That determination? That belief of how shinobi are more than tools and the rooted concept of protecting special people?

Do you really think those are real?

But he noted that he must really be a _damn_ fucking good actor 'cause he managed to fool everyone. Hell, he thinks that his acting is so damn superb that if he's not careful, he'll even fool himself.

_Liar._

At other times, he wanted to tear the stupid grinning mask off his face. Because he's not that like that, never like that and he was sick and tired of pretending. Because secrets aren't so fun when there's no one to share it with. He wanted to yell to the world, "Haha! That stupid cheerful Uzumaki Naruto doesn't exist! It's a fake! I have been pretending all along! You're all fooled!" He wanted to see their shock and distress because secrets may be fun when they are hidden, but the same thing goes stale and boring. Secrets are, after all most fun to have when the dirty truth is revealed to everyone. And everyone would realize how _incredibly _dumb they have been all along, how can they not see this from the beginning, when it's as clear as day? He wants to see the bastard's face when he admits to him "Hey, actually when you're merrily off at Orochimaru's place, I actually had a face-off with your older brother? I was the one who killed him, cause I was fucking pissed with you. So now I got rid of your reason for living and whatcha gonna do about it?" But that motivation for bring the bastard back was real though. He was really pissed at his _best friend _who tried to kill him. He really wanted to bring him back to Konoha. Yeah, when he brought that fucking bastard back, he was put a hole through his heart! Literally, of course. It had hurt like hell back then when Sasuke chidori-ed his chest. Both physically and emotionally. Naruto swears that when he dragged Sasuke's royal ass back, he'll return the favour.

_Liar._

But the stupid sunshine persona proved useful from time to time. He was the Godaime's favorite, wasn't he? The Shodaime's necklace around his neck was a testament to that. And how many people can boast of being trained personally from one of the great Sannin? It's true that Jiraya was useless most of the time, but in the end, he did learn a coupa of powerful stuff from him, didn't he? And he frequently got free meals from Iruka too. Granted that ramen is cheap and unhealthy, but food is food, as long as it fills up the belly and free food is even better. How much of the depth of his relationships with the above mentioned people was real? Only a bit.

_Liar._

When he heard about Akatsuki and met them, he had half a mind to join the organization. They were strong and they only put their interests into consideration. That was what Naruto liked. No fake fronts to pretend to care about you and all that crap. Humans only care about their own interest. They were also very much more powerful than him and someday, they will capture him to extract Kyuubi out. Why ignore the truth? Since they have such an interest for Kyuubi, can't Naruto join them and they'll get Kyuubi the non-hassle way, right? But it was a decision that was completely different from the Naruto that people knew, thus for the time being Naruto could not act upon it and could only wait for a suitable opportunity. Hopefully, he could have a little run-in with the Akatsuki folks sometime during the three years of training with Jiraya outside Konoha and they could have a private talk.

He didn't care that he was leaving this place either. No, he felt nothing for Konoha and it's people.

_Liar._

He propped his hands behind his head and strolled leisurely down the street. If there were someone nearby who actually cared to slow down to observe the Kyuubi brat, he would have noticed that the boy was being strange today. Firstly, he would have noticed that the boy was being awfully quiet. He would have noted that the boy's normally slit eyes were open and glinting with a sinister tone. That those blue eyes flashed crimson for a moment there and his lips curling up into a feral grin.

Naruto wondered if he should give a little show to Konoha, a preview of what he really is. Should he lift the metaphoric veil and allow them a little peek of the grotesque face under the mask?

He gave a sharp bark of laughter. Why not? He was feeling frivolous today. It would be fun. Yes, those looks on their faces… When they discover that their precious Naruto, their symbol of hope and perseverance, was nothing more than a fake! When they realize that the Naruto, the so-called man of his words is actually an unabashed and competent…

_Liar._

-end-

**AN: Yes, overused idea of how Naruto is only pretending. But I like that idea a lot. So ta-da, and it fits into that one-word thing too.**

**Writing Naruto is easy. The words flow out. Other characters gave me a massive headache. One of the many things that I love about Naruto.**

**Reviews. The previous chapter had no reviews and that made me sad. Was the previous one really that bad? Or are you guys just lazy? **


End file.
